One of the leading figures behind the popular Mass Effect sci-fi video game series says gamers shouldn’t get too excited about the upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 consoles. According to BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk, neither is “going to be that big a deal.”

Photo via ign.com

Zeschuk, who helped found BioWare back in 1995, recently talked about the state of console gaming during an interview with GamesIndustry International.

And it appears the doctor thinks there’s something seriously wrong with the video game industry.

“We are in a kind of sick market for old-school gaming,” Zeschuk said.

The concern: that Sony and Microsoft will fail to innovate with this next round of consoles.

According to Zeschuk, “Everyone’s kind of holding out hope for the new consoles, but I honestly don’t think they’re going to be that big a deal. I worry a lot that unless Microsoft or Sony pull something magically out of a hat, it’s pretty much the same old, same old repackaged and I don’t think they’re going to change the dynamic of the retail market.”

Right now Zeschuk, along with fellow BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, considers himself retired. He stepped aside in 2012 and says he doesn’t plan to return to making games any time soon. Instead, he’s been working on a beer fan website called The Beer Diaries.

Photo via wikimedia.org

Part of the reason, it would seem: he’s just not all that thrilled with the games being released these days.

“I think part of it…is that I’m not spending as much time playing games as I used to,” Zeschuk said. “I used to play them all time, I used to have my finger on the pulse, and absolutely I’m less on the pulse than I was. I still play some big releases, and I’m going to grab BioShock Infinite, but I don’t play the way I used to play.”

So, what do you guys think? Does the video game industry need a revolution? Can that be provided by the Xbox 720 or PlayStation 4?

Consoles innovating? I think what was shown regarding the PS4 so far is pretty damned innovative – considering they actually went to various developers for THEIR input into what the console needed to have and made good on that. I thnk boyo over there is upset that EA completely dropped the ball on Bioware’s 3 big series of the current generation – SW/Old Republic, Dragon Age and Mass Effect (name ME3/ending).

After that affair and the layoffs and early exist from Bioware, it’s no wonder some people have resorted to pondering the drink.

In any case, there’s a lack of balls all around and nobody is daring to place blame on EA for putting a rush on all the above, leaving Bioware forces to defend EA’s actions. Though if I were Laidlaw, I would have quit already. Not worth it.